Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bowling lane maintenance machines and, more particularly, to the cleaning mechanism of such machines used to remove dirt, grime and old lane dressing from the surface of the lane before re-applying conditioning dressing thereto.
Description of the Prior Art
In the game of bowling a ball is rolled at an arrangement of bowling pins in order to knock them down and score points. The pins are arranged on a series of “spots” so that the pinsetting (or pinspotting) equipment can pick-up any pins left behind after the first roll of the ball and reset them for a second or spare shot. However, if a pin slides off the designated spot (referred to as an “out of range” pin), it can cause problems for the pinsetting equipment, and many times the dislocated pin(s) cannot be picked up and reset for a second attempt. This causes delays and dissatisfaction for bowlers as the pin(s) must be manually reset into place before the spare shot can occur. An out-of-range pin can also cause damage to the pinsetting equipment as it attempts to complete its cycle.
To reduce or eliminate sliding pins, different types of liquid pin deck treatments have been used, typically applied with some sort of spray bottle or pressurized sprayer with a wand (i.e. bug sprayer) to reach into the pin deck area. This method of application always results in the treatment covering more than just the area where it is needed (creating areas of contamination) and wasting product. It is also time-consuming and inconvenient to treat the pin decks in larger bowling centers. Since applying liquid treatments is very labor-intensive, the treatment does not get applied as frequently as needed, creating a problem with sliding pins.
Another method in use by bowling centers to help pins fall over rather than slide out of range has been to apply thin soft anti-skid plastic disks that adhere to each pin spot on the pin deck. A typical bowling center needs 10 disks per lane to cover the 10 spots on a triangular deck pattern—with the head pin (in front) designated as the 1-pin, the left rear pin being the 7-pin, and the right rear pin being the 10-pin. The disks covering the pin spots create an irregular surface that can make the pin deck more difficult to clean. In addition to being a more expensive method, if the disks are not properly applied and maintained they can cause the pins to fall over prematurely (i.e. when being placed on the spot by the pinsetting equipment).
Additionally, the typical composition of the pin deck surface has changed from finished hardwood (i.e. maple) to a synthetic material (i.e. phenolic laminate), creating a greater need for recurring pin deck treatments to reduce the out of ranges due to sliding pins on the slicker surface.
The present invention overcomes these problems by providing a new method and apparatus for applying liquid pin deck treatments in a consistent and automated fashion.